Not a Moment Too Soon. Linda Johnston O.

credence. Ignoring it wasn’t an option.

      He’d learned his lesson the hard way before.

      “Okay, Hunter,” she said quietly. “I’ll stay, at least for a while. If I can do anything at all to help Andee, you know I will. And if the best I can do is to help you accept—”

      “I’ll never accept that,” he retorted, his voice raised. “Don’t play shrink with me.” He noticed that the light had turned green. Fortunately, there was no one behind them.

      “All right,” Shauna said sadly. Her hand touched his cheek. His eyes closed as his senses drank in the contact—the softness of her skin, her unique scent, which was neither too sweet nor too spicy. His entire body responded with awareness of Shauna and her touch, her closeness to him after so many long years. Good thing they were still stopped.

      His eyes popped open, and he turned to look at her. She withdrew her hand, but it still hovered between them. He’d have shoved it away if all he’d seen was sympathy on her face. It wasn’t. Yet…was it desire darkening the brown of her eyes?

      Did she feel it, too?

      Lord, how he wanted to take her into his arms, the way he once did. Make love with her, to forget all that was happening, if only for a few, wonderful minutes.

      She looked away first. “You missed the light.”

      He glanced in that direction. “Yeah.”

      “I don’t have reservations, but are there any hotels around here?” She swiveled in her seat. They’d driven a ways from Margo’s into a rougher area of town. There was no way he would leave Shauna here.

      “You’re staying with me,” he said.

      “I can’t, Hunter.” Her voice was low, husky, but this time, as the light changed, he didn’t look at her.

      “Yeah, you can. I’ll keep my hands off you, don’t worry.”

      He had to.

      “Like I said, I’m changing your story, Shauna. And for that you need to hang around. You’ll come with me when I ask questions. Help me brainstorm what else to do. You can gather new and different stuff to type in while you’re along for the ride. In the story, I investigate alone. Now, I’ll have an assistant along. If enough is thrown into your story that’s different, maybe the ending will change. And having you with me, when in the story I go it alone, will be a good start. Deal?”

      They were on the freeway, and the best he could do in the silence was to glance momentarily at her. She was staring straight ahead. Her upper teeth were again worrying her lower lip in that same, sexy manner.

      He wouldn’t let it affect him.

      “Well?” he prompted.

      “Okay, Hunter,” she finally said. “Deal.”

      Chapter 5

      Though Hunter’s house was in Brentwood, an area on the west side of Los Angeles that Shauna knew was upscale, it seemed even more low-key for its area than Margo’s.

      She could see in the lights along the wide street that his place was the smallest on the block, not the largest—white stucco and boxy looking, a modest, well-tended yard around it. Hunter drove his GTO down the driveway to the back of the house. The door inside the attached garage opened right into the kitchen, which was compact, outdated and cluttered.

      A cookie jar shaped like a smiling pig sat on the counter beside the side-by-side refrigerator. On top of the butcher-block table was a box of sweetened kiddy cereal and under it was a bright plastic child’s step stool.

      All signs that a child lived here, and was loved. The little everyday items left in homey disarray nearly broke Shauna’s heart.

      Hunter had insisted on bringing in both her small suitcase and his, though she toted her own laptop. “I’ll show you to the guest room.” He led her through the kitchen and down a narrow hall decorated with framed pictures of Andee alone, Andee and Elayne, and Andee with Hunter. But none with Andee and her mother. Not a surprise, since Hunter and Margo had been divorced two years or more, but recognizing that fact helped Shauna relax a little. Not that it should matter.